A Serious Thread About Food In Argentina
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Ries
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My chicken and egg guy is in the little market between Charcas and Guemes on Jeronimo Salguero.
There are about a dozen small stalls there.
His eggs are cheaper than the disco, and much better tasting, with real yellow yolks.
And his chickens come direct from a granja.
Its funny- I know a couple of Argentines who are so busy- usually two or more jobs, kids, and no time- who order out, and eat storebought milanesas, empanadas, and pizza- but the four or five Argentine friends I have who I eat at their houses the most often are all incredible gourmet cooks, who are quite versed in vegetables and world cuisine.
But then, I live (in Buenos Aires) in the middle of things, not way out in the burbs, and I find the people more worldly and interested in life. Also, its easy for me to go to a half dozen different markets (not supermarkets, but farmers markets and old style gallerias of many different vendors) I often go to the Armenian stores on Scalabrini Ortiz, and I go to El Galpon, in Chacarita, every week or two, for organic and homemade cheeses, meats, and fresh from the farmer produce.
I buy honey and home made jams and liqueurs from a woman who is in the San Telmo markets on weekends- she makes all her own products, including orange and citrus marmalades my wife swears by.
Lots of small specialty stores near me sell much higher quality stuff than Disco or Jumbo, too.
Some of absolutely costs more, but you can taste the difference.
The good stuff is out there, you just have to look for it.
http://pickupthefork.com/shopping-guide/
There are about a dozen small stalls there.
His eggs are cheaper than the disco, and much better tasting, with real yellow yolks.
And his chickens come direct from a granja.
Its funny- I know a couple of Argentines who are so busy- usually two or more jobs, kids, and no time- who order out, and eat storebought milanesas, empanadas, and pizza- but the four or five Argentine friends I have who I eat at their houses the most often are all incredible gourmet cooks, who are quite versed in vegetables and world cuisine.
But then, I live (in Buenos Aires) in the middle of things, not way out in the burbs, and I find the people more worldly and interested in life. Also, its easy for me to go to a half dozen different markets (not supermarkets, but farmers markets and old style gallerias of many different vendors) I often go to the Armenian stores on Scalabrini Ortiz, and I go to El Galpon, in Chacarita, every week or two, for organic and homemade cheeses, meats, and fresh from the farmer produce.
I buy honey and home made jams and liqueurs from a woman who is in the San Telmo markets on weekends- she makes all her own products, including orange and citrus marmalades my wife swears by.
Lots of small specialty stores near me sell much higher quality stuff than Disco or Jumbo, too.
Some of absolutely costs more, but you can taste the difference.
The good stuff is out there, you just have to look for it.
http://pickupthefork.com/shopping-guide/
cbonanni
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Serafina,
I could not agree with you more. Growing up in an Italian family , and spending a lot of time at the family home in Liguria , the food question in Argentina rattles me. I am off to beautiful Cinque Terre for a month of wonderful Italian food. There is nothing like the Market in La Spezia , everything fresh and wholesome. Fresh caught fish. Colorful , tasty vegetables ! Foccacia !
A huge problem in the processed food industry is all the sugar they put into food. That has sparked the obesity problem in the USA. I consume almost no processed food , always fresh , and prepared at home. Weather in Argentina , Italy or the USA.
I could not agree with you more. Growing up in an Italian family , and spending a lot of time at the family home in Liguria , the food question in Argentina rattles me. I am off to beautiful Cinque Terre for a month of wonderful Italian food. There is nothing like the Market in La Spezia , everything fresh and wholesome. Fresh caught fish. Colorful , tasty vegetables ! Foccacia !
A huge problem in the processed food industry is all the sugar they put into food. That has sparked the obesity problem in the USA. I consume almost no processed food , always fresh , and prepared at home. Weather in Argentina , Italy or the USA.
arnolddavid
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One can state an unproven proposition and then ask others to explain it causing thereby others to struggle to find intelligent explanations for a dubious proposition. One thing remains indisputably clear. Milanesas are critically important to the socioeconomic well being of Argentina.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcFnlMEXPlY&noredirect=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcFnlMEXPlY&noredirect=1
EdRooney
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OK my humble contribution:
1. I blame a lot of Argentine culinary depravity on over-abundance of meat. I have noticed that a lack of meat makes for inventive chefs who do everything they can to create ways to make plates interesting in spite of their lack of major protein, whereas Argentines with their oversupply of cheap meat just throw a bife on the plate and call it a night.
2. I also just came back from the US and while I agree that their is a much greater variety of tasty, healthy foods (even the street food was phenomenal!) which make Argentina utterly pale in comparison, I found it about 3x cheaper to eat here in Argentina (disclaimer: we eat mostly at home no matter where we are). Fruit and vegetables were outlandishly expensive in the 4 different states/regions where we visited in the US, and we found ourselves pining for our Argentine verdulería where we can buy whichever veggies we want without having to begrudge each centavo. I will say though, if one has the money, Queens is culinary heaven. As far as eating out goes, we simply couldnt afford to go out in the US. Here we can afford to go to most places, but with food that is so outlandishly miserable why bother?
3. A final point on the cultural differences. For the most part, we were struck by how people in the US are obsessed with food, while most Argentines dont seem to give a rat's bum what they eat. A simple glance at the menus in the US give a clue of this obsession. Menus don't just list "Roast Chicken with Potatoes" No, it's "Fire Seared Organic Free Range Hen with Morel-Laced Fingerling Purée..." add to this the [severely overmarketed] obsessions over biodynamic kale and ginseng and whatnot... even on fast food menus and canned foods!
My take away (definitely debatable) is that it seemed people in the US dine out for a culinary experience whilst Argentines generally go out to share a meal with friends/family and don't care too much what's on the plate.
1. I blame a lot of Argentine culinary depravity on over-abundance of meat. I have noticed that a lack of meat makes for inventive chefs who do everything they can to create ways to make plates interesting in spite of their lack of major protein, whereas Argentines with their oversupply of cheap meat just throw a bife on the plate and call it a night.
2. I also just came back from the US and while I agree that their is a much greater variety of tasty, healthy foods (even the street food was phenomenal!) which make Argentina utterly pale in comparison, I found it about 3x cheaper to eat here in Argentina (disclaimer: we eat mostly at home no matter where we are). Fruit and vegetables were outlandishly expensive in the 4 different states/regions where we visited in the US, and we found ourselves pining for our Argentine verdulería where we can buy whichever veggies we want without having to begrudge each centavo. I will say though, if one has the money, Queens is culinary heaven. As far as eating out goes, we simply couldnt afford to go out in the US. Here we can afford to go to most places, but with food that is so outlandishly miserable why bother?
3. A final point on the cultural differences. For the most part, we were struck by how people in the US are obsessed with food, while most Argentines dont seem to give a rat's bum what they eat. A simple glance at the menus in the US give a clue of this obsession. Menus don't just list "Roast Chicken with Potatoes" No, it's "Fire Seared Organic Free Range Hen with Morel-Laced Fingerling Purée..." add to this the [severely overmarketed] obsessions over biodynamic kale and ginseng and whatnot... even on fast food menus and canned foods!
My take away (definitely debatable) is that it seemed people in the US dine out for a culinary experience whilst Argentines generally go out to share a meal with friends/family and don't care too much what's on the plate.
camberiu
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Hmmm....Queens is actually pretty cheap, specially the food. Tourists never go there. It is a market dominated by immigrants who tend to be quite frugal.
Better keep your voice down. The Brooklyn hipsters are looking for new lands to colonize.
EdRooney
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Just out of curiosity Camberiu, what does frugal mean for you? Here in Argentina we can go to the greengrocer and get a couple kilos each of grapefruit, oranges, onions, carrots, celery, broccoli, pears, etc. for under ARS 100. In the US a splurge like that would have cost us USD $40 easy. Add to that basic staples like rice, flour, beans and pasta, and I could hardly ever make it out of the cheaper markets in the US without dropping a Benjamin.
This is not to mention meat, which in the US was unthinkable for us...
This is not to mention meat, which in the US was unthinkable for us...
camberiu
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Yes, if you are on an Argentine income and spending dollars in the US that you bought at blue rate, even Queens will seem expensive to you. But in terms of groceries, other than fruits and vegetables, everything in Queens is cheaper than what I find in Palermo. Eating out in Queens on average is also cheaper than eating out in Palermo.
